Dave p Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Is it normal or am I just unfortunate that I am getting Mice in my van whilst it is being stored. We don't leave any food on board when storing it. Last year we stored it on a farm and didn't have any problems, this year we have found a local camp site nearer home and have only been there for three weeks. When I picked the van up last Saturday ready for a 4 day break I found mice droppings every where stuff being chewed and a dead mouse rotting away with maggots under the bed. Is there anything I could do to prevent this happening again, don't feel that I should block up vent etc. as this could cause other problems. ANY HELP PLEASE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will H Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 A fairly standard problem Dave. You supply a nice comfortable home and they say thanks very much and move in on mass. Better sort it soon as it will soon be breeding time ... or are we too late already ! Various people use the electronic devices but I only ever found several of the the old fashioned wooden sprung traps well placed tp be effective. What bait you say, I found peanut butter the best, if they take it without springing the trap then use cotton so the bait is harder to remove and better still drill a small hole beside the pin and fix the cotton on the underside. I doubt you could seal all the vents as they know them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Hi Dave P We had a spell when mice visited our last MH, luckily, they did no (visible!) damage though... (we were quite "rural", being next to fields and established hedgerows etc) We tried those *electronic/sonic things but as Will said, it was the more traditional traps that did the job... (* I think these electronic gadgets need "line of sight" to work properly?). I also placed several traps around the van wheels, to catch 'em before they climbed in. I contained our traps in lidded marg' tubs, with a small (1/2" ish) hole in the one end.so as to keep them away from ground feeding birds. (just orientate the trap so that the trigger-end is facing the hole). To start with it wasn't unusual to catch 3-4 mice a day...until we reached such time as they either a) Got the hint or b) The area just ran out of mice!(doubtful) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 http://www.screwfix.com/p/pest-stop-sure-set-plastic-mousetraps-pack-of-2/70203 These are the type of mouse(and larger rat) traps we use in the van and around the farm, much easier to use and more sensitive than wooden ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 The electronic 'scarers' do not work on mice that have already set up home, for them you need traps.BUT they do , IM experience, dissuade those looking for a home, and encourages them to look elsewhere, haven't had any in 8 years, after an intrusion, then buying the scarers', 3 in a 7metre van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Check in the engine bay, they like to eat insulation, cables and pipes, they are also partial to windscreen washer water. I leave two traps in the engine bay and two in the habitation it seems to work. I check them every two weeks and since I started this regime I have never had anymore trouble and now rarely have any kills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 From memory, there are some You Tube RV solutions although the products used are probably not available in the UK. However, a common theme is using smells that Mice do not like. A cat is an obvious example but laundry sheets, such as Bounce, are said to work for a few days or more when placed inside so, it is claimed, do moth balls spread around the van outside. In the UK, you should be able to buy peppermint, eucalyptus, or spearmint oil from such as an aromatherapy shop and put some drops on cotton wool balls - these can be spread in the van as the smell is not too bad for humans. The Yanks seem to believe these work and there is some logic in this. There are others who say they don't work and people who say that's because they didn't lay the smells correctly. We used a killer trap with chocolate biscuits as the lure. Some mice species are protected so be sure what you are killing. If capturing humanely, release any mice at least a mile away into the wild because they can travel some distance to get back to their home. Oh, and make sure the water is drained because mice can smell a source of water. And clean up any urine trails as mice use their sense of smell to follow these. Only a pest controller will rid you of a mice infestation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave p Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 Thanks everyone for your advice, this is the first year we had any problems with mice. Maybe we just been lucky or maybe the new site we store at now is swarming with them. Off to buy some traps now even though I feel that food on a trap would entice them more towards my van, but I suppose it's better than letting them run around and damage my pride and joy. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pampam Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I spray wheels (tyres) with jeyes fluid , put boxes of bounce tumble dryer sheets under beds and seating , mothballs if you can find any , fill around pipe holes with fine wirewool ,and sadly put poison down ,good luck pp:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losos Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Rayjsj - 2015-10-30 12:21 AMThe electronic 'scarers' do not work on mice that have already set up home, for them you need traps.BUT they do work, IM experience, to dissuade those looking for a home, This is the general advice, untrasonic will stop mice from entering but once in situ then they do nothing and you have to resort to traps, poison, or a cat!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Losos - 2015-11-01 7:48 PMRayjsj - 2015-10-30 12:21 AMThe electronic 'scarers' do not work on mice that have already set up home, for them you need traps.BUT they do work, IM experience, to dissuade those looking for a home, This is the general advice, untrasonic will stop mice from entering but once in situ then they do nothing and you have to resort to traps, poison, or a cat!! They have STILL stopped my vans from being infested,over the last 8 years, SO, they do work.In my experience, once they are IN a lot of the damage is already done, urinating and chewing up upholstery etc., they are worth the preventative cost IMO. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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